1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved storm shutters that are useful to protect windows and doors on residential and commercial buildings in event of high winds and rains such as experienced in hurricanes or severe thunderstorms, and specifically to an improved storm shutter that can be constructed with modular segments of different widths which can fit together for providing multiple widths as required by windows of various widths without sacrificing strength.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Exteriorly mounted storm shutters for covering windows and doors on residential homes or commercial buildings are well known in the art. There are a variety of different types of storm shutters including those that can be rolled up and down covering the window or door opening, some that are rigid and installed in place just prior to the storm on mounting brackets near the window areas through the use of screws, fasteners or pegs, and rigid awning shutters that pivotally fold over the windows and are fastened in place to the exterior walls.
The use of corrugated, rigid aluminum sheets, each of which must be precut to the window width, as storm shutters in areas where hurricanes are experienced such as in Florida is well known. A one piece corrugated rigid aluminum sheet is typically mounted in a top track and a bottom ledge using clips or wedging pegs that are pounded into place, rigidly holding the corrugated aluminum panel over the window, covering the complete window area. Although these shutters have been proven to be very effective barricades to protect the window areas and door areas and cost effective, one drawback is that each aluminum sheet being a single piece must be custom cut in width because of the various sizes (widths) of different windows that may be involved even on a single dwelling.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a sturdy aluminum window or door storm shutter that is made up of individually sized modular segments that allows one to readily construct a window shutter that is basically custom fit in width without the extra labor of cutting each individual sheet to fit each individual window. The use of foldable and extruded strips is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,793 issued to Ferrell, Apr. 21, 1964 shows a sun shade panel having a plurality of equally sized corrugated panels. U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,455 issued to Riegelman, Nov. 8, 1966 shows a frame construction for multiple panels for covering doors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,271 issued to DePaolo et al., Jun. 8, 1982 shows hurricane panel construction using corrugated sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 2,680,886 issued to Urban, Jun. 15, 1954 shows a segmented awning used to cover a window as a plurality of individual strips. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,308 issued to Facey, Apr. 6, 1976 shows a foldable storm window that can be made larger than the window area through a series of panels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,297 issued to Casamayor, Jan. 22, 1980 shows a plurality of plastic panels made in strips that is used as insulating panels in large windows. U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,945 issued to Menchetti, May 7, 1985 shows a window insulating system using a plurality of individual panels that can be held in place adjacent the window. U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,450 issued to Rutledge, May 29, 1990 shows a panel system for windows that allows individual panels to be fit over the windows. U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,904 issued to Susner, Mar. 31, 1992 shows a plurality of panels used with a foldable shutter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,936 issued to Johnson, Oct. 20, 1992 shows a sliding panel shutter assembly covering windows or doors. None of the references disclosed provide a storm shutter having a plurality of modular rigid, preferably aluminum, panels having different widths and configurations in a side-by-side array to custom fit a window with a sturdy, durable shutter for storm protection without having to individually cut a single panel.